1. El Alfabeto

2. B vs. V
B = Be grande
= “B de Burro”
V = Be chica
= “V de Vaca”

3. Pronunciation of “C” “c + e” and “c + i” both sound like “s”
Examples: cero, cita
c + any other letter sounds like “k”
Examples: casa, Colombia, Cuba
How would you pronounce the number 5? “cinco”
How would you pronounce the name “Sincioco”?

4. Pronunciation of “G” “g + e” and “g + i” both sound like “h”
Examples: Germán, gitano
g + any other letter sounds like “g” in gum
Examples: gato, Gómez, guerra, guía
How would you pronounce these words?
gracias guitarra gente

5. Pronunciation of “H” The letter “h” is always silent in Spanish
How would you pronounce these words?
hotel hospital hola

6. K and W
The letters “k” and “w” are not common in Spanish and appear only in words borrowed from other languages.
Examples: karate, whiskey

7. R and RR
At the beginning of a word, “r” is always pronounced as a trilled “rr”
Examples: Ramón, Rosa, reloj

8. The letter “Y”
Depending on its position, the letter “y” can be a semivowel as in the English words “boy” and “toy”: Paraguay, voy.
It can also be a consonant as in the English words “yard” and “yesterday”: yo, maya

9. The letter “Z” The letter “z” is pronounced like the English “s”
Examples: gazpacho, zona, lápiz

10. ¿Cómo se escribe? ¿Cómo se escribe? = How do you spell….?
Ana (a-ene-a)
Carlos (ce-a-ere-ele-o-ese)
Pepe (pe-e-pe-e)
Sara (ese-a-ere-a)

11. “Con acento”
When a letter carries an accent, say “con acento” after saying the name of the letter:
“María” se escribe: eme-a-ere-i con acento-a